Wonderpaywall? £6,000 to see a band? Even a great one. Exorbitant price hikes on secondary ticketing sites, like StubHub, cannot be dismissed as ‘free market innovation in action’. Its extortion, by bot, in a marketplace manipulated by dominant actors.

I’ll never forget the feeling I had hearing the news on my father’s car radio that the IRA had announced a ceasefire 30 years ago today. The road to peace has not been a straight one but we now live on a changed island, finally at peace. Change can happen. Hope won.

Not often I cry when someone I don’t know personally dies. In fact I can think of only two. Peter Whittingham and now Sol Bamba. I met Sol a few times and he was my Mum’s favourite player. When City won promotion he spent 40 minutes talking to my mother. He was a gentleman.

Claire The Royal Society Professor Dame Angela McLean It's been a long time since I took part in The Royal Society Pairing Scheme with Kevin Brennan As applications have just opened, I'd highly recommend. Here's a blog post from the archives in case it helps anyone considering whether to apply: emmayhnell.com/2018/12/02/roy…

.Oasis reunion tour prices lead to fresh call for arena and stadium ticket levy to save grassroots music venues Music Venue Trust nme.com/news/music/oas…

Alan is one of the genuinely good people in a generally Machiavellian and spiteful world… worth a listen!

Happy Labor Day

Btw it’s not anti innovation to be resolutely opposed to big tech being allowed to profiteer from new ways of exploiting people whether they are consumers or workers

Forever a Bluebird. 💙

Not warning Oasis fans of dynamic pricing may be law breach, experts say nme.com/news/music/not…

All aboard! Today we will take a significant step towards public ownership of our railways as our Rail Public Ownership Bill becomes the first major piece of legislation of this Government to reach the final Commons stages 🚂

Hear hear

Bore da! Here’s an impromptu version of Eucalyptus 🍃 the first in a series I’m calling “The Kids are in School Sessions” (ps. This is one of my favourite songs on the album)

NME pictures of Carnival Against the Nazis, Victoria Park, East London 30th April 1978 kmflett.wordpress.com/2024/09/06/nme…

Just heard the sad news that Herbie Flowers has passed away, Herbie played bass guitar on David Bowie’s self-titled 1969 album and Diamond Dogs. He has performed on so many well known songs over the years. Here he is with David Bowie & Marc Bolan on the Marc show in 1977. RIP.

Have always loved this exquisite Elton John track from Tumbleweed Connection with its evocative Bernie Taupin lyric and atmospheric acoustic bass from the fingers of Herbie Flowers - RIP - well played youtu.be/ZdkvZhsrtM8?fe…

The wonderful psalm for the scaffolders, by Dr Kim Moore in tribute to the scaffolders who just took my Eiffel Tower of planks and tubes down from my chimney. (PS thanks to Kevin Brennan for the tip) poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems…

#RIP dad 💔

BREAKING: James Earl Jones, a pioneering actor of the stage and screen who lent his voice to Darth Vader, Mufasa and CNN, dies at 93. apnews.com/article/james-…

Wales is set to be the first part of the UK to have automatic enrolment to the voting register, following countries like France, Germany and Italy who have a similar system already in place nation.cymru/news/new-law-a…